SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/28/2019 9:45 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-7 “Explanation of Pastor/Teachers”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
4:11
Message of the verse: “11 And He gave
some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as
evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,”
It
is my goal for this SD to finish the quotation from John MacArthur’s commentary
on what is the explanation of Pastor/Teachers.
“Elders
are not to operate by majority rule or vote.
If all the elders are guided by the same Spirit and all have the mind of
Christ, there should be unanimity in the decisions they make (1 Cor. 1:10; Eph.
4:3; Phil. 1:27; 2:2). If there is
division, all the elders should study, pray, and seek the will of God together
until consensus is reached. Unity and
harmony in the church begin with this principle.
“With
elders lies the responsibility to preach and teach (1 Tim. 5:17). They are to determine doctrinal issues for
the church and have the responsibility of proclaiming the truth to the
congregation. In listing the spiritual
qualifications of the overseer, 1 Timothy 3:2-7 gives only one qualification that relates to a specific
function: he must be ‘able to teach.’ All the other qualifications relate to
personal character.
“Titus
1:7-9 also emphasizes the significance of the elder’s responsibility as a
teacher: ‘For the overseer must…be able
both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.’ The threat of false teachers in the church
was already so great that a key qualification for leadership was the ability to
understand and teach sound doctrine.
‘Exhort’ in that verse is the Greek parakaleo,
which literally means ‘to call near.’
From its uses in the New Testament, we see that the ministry of
exhortation has several elements. It
involves persuasion (Acts 2A:A14; 14:22; Titus 1:9), pleading (2 Cor. 8:17),
contorting (1 Thess. 2:11), encouraging (1 Thess. 4:11), and patient
reiterating of important doctrine (2 Tim. 4:2).
“Elders
are to be a resource for those who seek partnership in prayer. James wrote, ‘Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church,
and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord’
(James 5:14).
“From
Acts 20:28 we learn that another function of an elder is shepherding: ‘Be on guard for yourselves and for the
flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the
church of God.’ Involved in the concept
of shepherding are the twin responsibilities of feeding and protecting the
flock. Verses 29-30 reemphasize the fact
that the protecting ministry of the overseer is essential for countering the
threat of false teachers.
“The
elder acts as a caring and loving shepherd over the flock, but never in
Scripture is a congregation spoken of as ‘his flock’ or ‘your flock.’ Believers are the ‘flock of God’ (1 Pet.
5:2), and the elder is
merely a steward and caretaker for those precious possessions of God.
“As
spiritual overseers of the church, teaching shepherds are to determine church
polity (Acts 15:22); to oversee (Acts 20:28); to ordain others (1 Tim. 4:14);
to rule, teach, and preach (1 Tim. 5:17); to exhort and refute (Titus 1:9); and
to act as shepherds, setting an example for all (1 Pet. 5:1-3). Those responsibilities put elders at the core
of the work of the New Testament church.
“Every
believer today is indebted directly or indirectly to these specially gifted men
God has given to His church. Through
their preaching, teaching, writing, exhortation, and other ministries, they
lead the lost to Christ, enrich our knowledge of God and His Word, and
encourage us ‘to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which [we] have
been called’ (4:1). They are ‘worthy of
double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching’ (1 Tim.
5:17). ‘Obey your leaders, and submit to
them,’ the writer of Hebrews tells us, ‘for they keep watch over your souls, as
those who will give an account. Let them
do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you’
(Heb. 13:17).
“All
of the gifts that Christ gives to individuals and to the church as a whole are
gifts which He Himself perfectly exemplified.
If ever there was a preacher it was Christ, if ever there was a teacher,
ruler, administrator, servant, helper, or giver it was Christ. He is the perfect illustration and example of
every gift, because His gifts to us are gracious gifts of Himself.”
I
really pray and hope that all of this exhortation on Pastor/Teachers has been a
benefit to all who read it. As stated
before the church that I go to is a bit different in how they do the business
of it, but if it was not a church that was not preaching and teaching the Word
of God I surely would find another one to attend.
Scripture verse that goes with
yesterdays quotation is from Proverbs 2:10-11:
“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you.”
3/28/2019 10:18 AM
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